Almond Crusted Eggplant with Mushroom- Red Wine Reduction

This one came to us from the desire to pair a mushroom-wine reduction with a dish. Our first thought was tempeh (which we still think would be delicious) but we wanted to go for a full veggie meal. And might we say, we outdid ourselves with this one. The almonds bring a nutty, savory flavor—not to mention protein—while the red wine gives the mushrooms a touch of sweetness. We can’t wait to devour the leftovers for the rest of the week.

Peel the eggplant and cut disks about ½-inch thick. In a shallow bowl, pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom and do the same with the almond flour mixture in another shallow bowl. Place an eggplant cutlet in the olive oil, coat all sides, then place in the almond mixture and coat all sides. Lightly press down on the eggplant to ensure the crust sticks.

Set on baking sheet and repeat until all cutlets have been crusted, while refilling the bowls with olive oil/almond mixture as needed. Bake for 25-27 minutes, flip, and cook for another 10 minutes. Lastly, cook on high broil for 1 minute with the oven door cracked and keeping a close watch.

While the eggplant is in the oven, heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms. Once their juices have released (about 5-7 minutes), season with salt & pepper. Add wine & parsley and stir. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and cover to keep warm until the eggplant is finished.

That’s it! Drizzle the juices from the mush-wine reduction over the eggplant and get those
mushrooms in there too. We enjoyed ours with homemade garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed kale. This would also pair well with spinach and angel hair pasta. NOMZ.

Notes:

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